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How long do your blue jeans last… which brand?

 
John F Dean
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I just tossed a pair of Wrangler blue jeans.   It had many holes, been repaired numerous times, and was generally falling apart all over.   It was at least 15 years old. Of course, that leads to my question.  Now for my mitigating factors, around 2000 I started wearing Alaskan Hard Gear bought through Duluth as my go to.   But, to flip things the other direction, I still wore the jeans in situations that were likely to result in damage.  Anyway, what has been your experience?

I learn from the mistakes of others who take my advice.

 
Matt McSpadden
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For a long time it was just wrangler jeans from Walmart. They would generally only last between 6 - 12 months before there was a good sized hole somewhere. Because I need to look reasonably put together at work, patching wasn't going to cut it for me for that situation. And sometimes the holes were so big it was not practical to patch.

I recently tried a pair of jeans from Origin. It is a small company that has been exploding recently here in Maine that is dedicated to 100% American supply chain for everything they make. I've only had the jeans for about 6 months so far, so I can't really testify to their longevity... but so far so good. They are lighter and more stretchy than what Walmart sells. I'm probably going to try another pair.

https://originusa.com/

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John F Dean
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I admit I haven’t shopped for jeans in a number of years, but while made in America attracts me, the prices are a little scary.

I learn from the mistakes of others who take my advice.

 
R. Ford
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Tractor supply used to carry a brand called CE Schmidt that were a duct material similar to Carhartt. In 2015 they were about 12 dollars a pair and I could wear 5 pairs a week (one pair per work day) for 2 years before they wore the crotch out and had to be retired to "working around the house" pants. I'm very hard on pants, and haven't found anything near that price point that would last more than a few months. As a funny side note, my dad told me i need to find a vintage 1970's pair of Tuffskin Jeans. He said they were so stiff denim that the only time you were able to bend your knees or run in them is if you were the third kid they were handed down to.  

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John F Dean
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I believe Tuffskins were a Sears house brand … more work orientated than Roebucks.

I learn from the mistakes of others who take my advice.

 
K Kaba
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I had some of those sears tuffskin jeans as a kid. My knees could be skinned and bloody, but those things didn't even get a scratch. I'm not entirely sure they weren't made of some eldrich hide or something.
 
Judson Carroll
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John F Dean wrote:I just tossed a pair of Wrangler blue jeans.   It had many holes, been repaired numerous times, and was generally falling apart all over.   It was at least 15 years old. Of course, that leads to my question.  Now for my mitigating factors, around 2000 I started wearing Alaskan Hard Gear bought through Duluth as my go to.   But, to flip things the other direction, I still wore the jeans in situations that were likely to result in damage.  Anyway, what has been your experience?



Jeans don't last anymore, by design.  The old selvedge or self-edged ones did. Keep an eye out in thrift shops and such for pre- 80/90s denim.  It will last longer than most of us!  A good old boot cut pair of wranglers you can probably get used for $5 is worth more than several hundred modern pair.

"Them that don't know him don't like him and them that do sometimes don't know how to take him, he ain't wrong he's just different and his pride won't let him do the things to make you think he's right" - Ed Bruce (via Waylon and WIllie)

 
C. Letellier
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Rough environment for pants. Farm equipment mechanic so around lots of sharp corners, lots of dirt and grease, welding, chemicals etc.  Typically 6 months to a year from brand new to not reasonably salvageable.  Also depends on how many pairs in the rotation.  If it is down to 3 they die faster.  If it is 6 or more then they run longer.  A washer load of work clothes is 6 pieces so normal answer is 2 loads a week.

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Tyler Grace
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I gave up on jeans a while back. I mostly wear cargo pants or shorts for the added utility. 511, Dickies, Tru-Spec.

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Jay Angler
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Jeans aren't normally my go-to, mostly because Hubby kept outgrowing his pants and the temptation to alter and takeover ownership was too great.

That said, I have started a "pre-mending" approach. I know where I'm most likely to have wear issues, and if I use a matching patch ahead of time, I can make it look like quite intentional reinforcing.

Once my son brought me a pair of pants and said the crotch was getting thin, could I patch it for farm use. I took the time to sew the proper shape, stitched it on neatly, and he wore them for another year as work pants. He said I'd done too nice a job for farm pants!

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Gray Henon
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Cotton duck pants seem to hold up better for me than jeans.  I am cheap so I buy Dickies instead of Carhartts.  You have to look closely though, there are. two different weights of canvas.  

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Nick Mick
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I’m a carpenter and I wear wrangler Riggs work jeans. Doing interior work they last about 3 years before they get to frayed. Not sure how long they would last doing concrete or steel work but they are only like $50 bucks.
 
Steve Zoma
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Being a blue collar worker in the high voltage industry, typically my work clothes are provided by the company because they must be arc proof resistant. Naturally I wear them at home too, but the industrial brand lasts about 3 years before they finally wear out. Not just holes in a spot, but the fibers of the jeans literally thread bare.

Edited to say:

I checked some pairs I have and they are FR (Flame resistant) Carhartt work jeans

 
Jill Dyer
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As a person from "elsewhere" I'm unfamiliar with most of the US brands of jeans, but perhaps it is helpful to know that denim comes in (usually) three weights - light, medium and heavy and measures in ounces per square yard.  Best for long-lasting workwear, i,s naturally, heavy weight at round about 16 oz. per sq.yd.  It's also quite stiff and needs a longish wear-in period.  A lot of denim jeans are made in the medium weight and then further 'distressed' to make them look worn in.  Fine if the jeans are worn around town,  but a sand wash, or stone wash, or worse the frayed slits at knees etc have no business being worn down on the farm, unless really on their last legs (sorry for the pun) and banished to that position.
So, I seriously recommend to compare the weights when buying a new pair, and avoid anything that looks already worn!

Life's too short, eat dessert first! [Source of quote unknown]
You have to be warped to weave [ditto!]

 
craig howard
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I see you mentioned duluth trading.
I picked up a pair of firehose pants at a rummage sale and they lasted through a lot of hard work like tree climbing/cutting.
They did finally get thread bare. They are stretchy so buy them with a smaller waist than you usually wear.

I also ended up with several pairs of prison pants from someone who got out.
Cintas brand. I think they are a workwear company. I see their trucks around.
Lasted way longer than I expected, while working mostly on cars.
 
Alder Burns
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Mine last however long they last....six months, a couple of years?  who knows?  I'm always on the lookout for them at thrift stores and in dumpsters.  So they come in and out, sort of like mulch I guess.  When they get holes in the knees I save them for the coldest days when I have long undies on anyway.  Then they get cut off for summer shorts.  When the butt goes, they get cut up into little squares for toilet paper at the humanure bucket....and so, yes, they become compost at last.
 
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